Author: Sophie Kinsella
Published: 2002
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Series: Shopaholic #2
323 pages (paperback)
So, I’ve read the first book of the Shopaholic series (Confessions of a Shopaholic) and the 5th (Shopaholic and Baby). If you’ve read both my posts on those books, you’ll remember that I loved the first one but wasn’t too happy with the 5th one. Well, I decided to read all the books in between, and just finished book number two — Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (US title) or Shopaholic Abroad (UK title).
In this book, Becky Bloomwood has just started dating successful entrepreneur Luke Brandon (they got together near the end of book one), and is having a very successful career giving financial advice on the television show Morning Coffee (which is ironic, she knows). Last book, she’s paid off all her debts, but it seems Becky’s spending habits are just too hard to break, and she’s already in debt all over again. However, she’s convinced herself that everything will be okay and doesn’t really worry about it — though you’d think she’d learn her lesson from the first time she did that. However, it’s Becky, so it’s kind of expected of her, haha.
Anyway, Luke is looking to expand his PR company to America, specifically New York, and asks Becky if she would come with him. If the deal goes through, the two of them will likely end up living in New York. Becky agrees, and once she is in New York, she feels she has found her “homeland”. She visits all the most famous New York department stores, drools over all the brand name shops, freaks out over a street lined with nothing but shoe stores … Becky has found the place where she belongs. As she gives her credit cards a mighty work out, she doesn’t realize how her spending is affecting her image back in London, and how that, in turn, is going to affect Luke’s business deal.
I’m so happy that this book is as great as the first one, and not as cliche and over-the-top as the fifth one. I mean, of course there is drama in this book. It’s chick-lit, there’s always crazy drama. But this book’s plot is more in tune with that of the first Shopaholic book, which I really loved, so I’m happy to say I really loved this book too. It’s funny and witty and I think one of my favourite lines is, “If the American economy can be billions of dollars in debt and still survive, you can survive too!” Not an exact quote, but you get the idea. Haha, I don’t know why but that’s my favourite line.
Spoilers alert! — The ending was a little meh for me. Luke tries to win Becky back as she boards the plane to America, planning to leave the UK (forever?) but Becky rejects him. Okay. But then we get this little epilogue-ish chapter at the end, where it’s two months later, and Luke appears at Becky’s new job and asks to get together with her again. This time she accepts. I mean, yeah, I know this is completely possible in real life and all, but it all came off a bit strange to me, to say no first during the climax of the plot, but then have her change her mind in the last chapter. Not a HUGE deal or anything, just my personal feelings towards the ending. — End spoilers!
Overall, a really funny and optimistic story that I think anyone could enjoy (though probably more women than men, heh). I’m excited to read the third book, in which Becky gets married, mainly because I think Luke and Becky make a cute couple, even if Luke seems strangely too perfect at times, but anyway, I hope it retains the same fun and quality that the first two books have!
My Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment